MPS trials new electric car
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is to take part in trials of a revolutionary new extended-range electric car.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is to take part in trials of a revolutionary new extended-range electric car.
The car is powered at all times by an electric motor and is fully charged in three hours, which will cost about 80p using off-peak electricity.
The Vauxhall Ampera can work on battery power alone for 40 miles and when it runs flat the small petrol engine kicks in, providing power for a generator to keep it going for more than 300 miles.
It has zero tailpipe CO2 emissions and makes virtually no noise. It has a top speed of 100mph and can go from 0 to 60mph in nine seconds.
The MPS director of transport services, Nigel Jakubowski, said: We have a lead role in the testing and evaluation of vehicles and subsequent support requirements for the Greater London Authority (GLA) family and wider UK police.
The MPS ensures vehicles can be safely and legally equipped to meet specifications as part of the national strategy of police standards, and test vehicles to extremes and worst-case scenarios to allow other fleet users to choose with a high degree of confidence.
“Our relationships with manufacturers help us drive improvements in specifications faster, that in turn erode anxieties in areas such as range issues. Confidence in MPS vehicles is a must and we are expanding this expertise for other fleet users to tap into.
Were determined to drive new technology through more quickly and efficiently while cutting carbon emissions and improving fuel economy.
The GLA family, through the MPS and Transport for London, are aiming to have 1,000 electric vehicles across the group by 2015.
